Combination strut



April 20, 1943. G. E. HUSTED COMB INATION STRUT Filed May 19, 1941 INVENTOR, 6. 1500/5 HUSTED.

ATTOR/VEK Patented Apr. 20, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINATION STRUT George Eddie Husted, San Francisco, Calif.

Application May 19, 1941, Serial No. 394,076

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in a combination strut, and its principal object is to provide a combination strut for a propeller shaft and rudder of a boat arranged in such a manner that the strut is mounted behind the propeller and thus avoids the creation of turbulence in the water about the propeller, whereby the efficiency of the latter is increased.

A further object of my invention is to provide a combination strut which serves as a common support for the rudder shaft and the propeller shaft, the propeller being mounted in front of the strut and the rudder projecting rearwardly from the strut in opposing relation to the propeller.

A still further object of the invention is to streamline the entire arrangement so as to allow of free rearward flow of the Water acted on by the propeller.

More particularly, the invention relates to a strut adapted for fastening to the keel of a boat in the rear of the latter and to a propeller shaft bearing secured to the strut to project forwardly therefrom and adapted to receive the rear end of a propeller shaft slanting downward from the forward portion of the boat, the bearing being secured in such a manner as to readily adapt itself to the particular angle at which the propeller shaft is arranged.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the specification proceeds, and the novel features thereof will be fully set forth in the claims hereto appended.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a boat having my combination strut attached thereto;

Figure 2, a vertical section through the strut assembly;

Figure 3, a horizontal section taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4, a bottom plan view of the strut assembly.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, I wish to have it understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the claims attached hereto, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the boat indicated at I, has its engine, not shown, mounted in the front section thereof and has its propeller shaft 2 slanting downward and rearward from an intermediate portion of the boat toward the strut assembly 3 attached to the boat at the rear end thereof.

The strut assembly comprises a sleeve 4 adapted to project through an opening 5 in the keel 6 of the boat and to be secured thereto by means of a flange 1 extending from an intermediate section of the sleeve and bearing against the under side of the keel, and bolts 8 extending through the flange and the keel, the nuts 9 of the bolts bearing on a plate Ill disposed on top of the keel. A look nut ll may be threaded on the sleeve to bear on the plate 10.

The sleeve 4 thus has a lower section disposed underneath the keel and extending vertically downward therefrom, and another section projecting vertically above the keel.

The sleeve serves as a support for the shaft l2 of a rudder it, the shaft being introduced from below and being supported at the bottom by a bearing plate M, which is removably secured to the sleeve by means of a number of screws IS. The lower section of the sleeve has an inner diameter considerably in excess of the shaft diameter, and has its rear section cut-away, as at [6, to allow the rudder blade to project rearwardly therethrough with freedom of a desired degree of angular movement. At the upper end of the sleeve, I provide a packing nut ll, and the upper end of the rudder shaft projects above the packing nut, as at 18, to receive a suitable manipulating element, not shown.

The lower end of the sleeve has an ear 19 projecting forwardly therefrom, preferably at a slight angle corresponding as near as possible to the incline of the propeller shaft 2.

A bearing 20 has its rear end pivoted to the ear l9 by means of a pin 2! with freedom of swinging motion in a vertical plane. The front end of the bearing is adapted to receive the rear end of the propeller shaft 2, a bushing 22 being interposed between the bearing and the shaft. The propeller 23 is mounted on the shaft 2 immediately in front of the bearing.

The front face of the sleeve 4 below the keel is preferably rounded, as shown at 24, or streamlined, and the outer faces of the ear l9 and the bearing 2% are preferably made of the same shape to form, as near as possible, a uniform cylindrical surface of a diameter somewhat less than of the propeller hub.

The advantages of this construction will be readily understood from the foregoing description. A single strut serves for both the rudder and the propeller shaft. The propeller is mounted in front of the strut, and thus operates in an,

undisturbed body of water. The water forced back by the operation of the propeller blade meets with little obstruction, in view of the general streamlined character of the strut and the bearing behind the propeller. The pivoted bearing 20 automatically alines itself with the propeller shaft 2, and the angle to which the rudder may be turned may be readily fixed to a desired degree by properly proportioning the cut-out in the rear of the sleeve 4.

I claim:

1. A combination rudder and propeller strut for the keel of a boat having a hole therein, comprising a sleeve mounted vertically in said hole substantially midway of its length so as to present an upper portion above the keel and a lower portion below'the keel, a flange on the sleeve positioned to bear against the bottom of the keel; a plate superimposed on the keel in registering relation to the flange, means for clamping the plate and the flange upon the keel, the upper portion of the sleeve having a bore dimensioned to form a bearing for the upper end of a rudder shaft, the lower portion of the sleeve having an enlarged bore to receive the lower end of the rudder shaft and having a portion cut away to provide space for the rudder blade to pass therethrough with freedom of sidewise swinging movement, a removablebearing plate at the bottom of the sleeve to support the lower end of the shaft, an ear projecting forward from the lower end of the sleeve and opposite the bearing plate, and an end bearing member for a propeller shaft pivoted to the ear.

2. A combination rudder and propeller strut for the keel of a boat having a hole therein, comprising a sleeve mounted vertically in said hole substantially midway of its length so as to present an upper portion above the keel and a lower portion below the keel, a flange on the sleeve positioned to bear against the bottom of the keel,

a plate superimposed on the keel in registering and having a portion cut away to provide space for the rudder blade to pass therethrough with freedom of sidewise swinging movement, a removable bearing plate at the bottom of the sleeve to support the lower end of the shaft, and an end bearing member for a propeller shaft pivoted to the lower end of the sleeve opposite the bearing plate. a

3. A combination rudder and propeller strut V for the keel of a boat having a hole therein, comprising a sleeve mounted vertically in said hole substantially midway of its length so as to present an upper portion above the keel and a lower portion below the keel, means clamping on the upper and lower faces of the keel for securing the sleeve in said position, the upper portion of the sleeve having a bore dimensioned to form a bearing for the upper end of a rudder shaft, the lower portion of the sleeve having a bore to receive the lower end of the rudder shaft, and having a portion cut away to provide space for the rudder to pass therethrough with freedom of sidewise swinging movement, a bearing plate at the bottom of the sleeve to support the lower end a of the shaft, and an end bearing member for a propeller shaft pivoted to the lower end of the sleeve opposite the bearing plate.

GEORGE EDDIE HUSTED. 

